Tribes, Nomads and settled communities in INDIA

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1. Tribes In India

3. Different kinds of societies: Those who followed
rules of Varna and those who didn’t

We have already seen that there were administrative centers, temple towns, as well as centers of commercial
activities and craft production during medieval periods. But a different kind of societies evolved
differently social change was not the same everywhere.
In many parts of the subcontinent, the society was already divided according to the rules of Varna. These rules,
as prescribed by the Brahmans, were accepted by the rulers of large kingdoms. Under the Delhi Sultans and the
Mughals, the hierarchy between social classes grew further.
However, there were other societies as well. Many societies in the subcontinent did not follow the social rules
and rituals prescribed by the Brahmans. Nor were they divided into numerous unequal classes. Such societies
are often called tribes.


Beyond Big Cities: Tribal Societies

 In Punjab, the Khokhar tribe was very influential during the 13th and 14th centuries.
 Kamal Khan Gakkhar, of Gakkhar tribe, was a noble (mansabdar) by Emperor Akbar.
 In Multan and Sind, the Langahs and Arghuns dominated extensive regions before they were subdued by
the Mughals.
 In the western Himalaya lived the shepherd tribe of Gaddis.

4.  The distant north-eastern part of the subcontinent too was entirely dominated by tribes – the Nagas,
Ahoms etc.
 In many areas of present-day Bihar and Jharkhand, Chero, chiefdoms had emerged by the 12th century.
Raja Man Singh, Akbar’s general, attacked and defeated them in 1591.
 The Maharashtra highlands and Karnataka were home to Kolis[also in Gujarat], Berads etc.
 South got Koragas, Vetars, and Maravars etc.
 Bhils spread across western and central India. By the late 16th century, many of them had become settled
agriculturists and some even zamindars.
 The Gonds were found in great numbers across the present-day states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
Gond Tribe
 They lived in a vast forested region called Gondwana.
 They practiced shifting cultivation.
 The Akbar Nama, a history of Akbar’s reign, mentions the Gond kingdom of Garha Katanga that had
70,000 villages.
 The administrative system of these kingdoms was becoming centralized.
 The emergence of large states changed the nature of Gond society.
 Certain Gond chiefs now wished to be recognized as Rajputs.

5. Ahom Tribe

 They migrated to the Brahmaputra valley from present-day Myanmar in the 13th century.
 They created a new state by suppressing the older political system of the bhuiyans (landlords).
 During the 16th century, they annexed the kingdoms of the Chhutiyas (1523) and of Koch-Hajo (1581) and
subjugated many other tribes.
 They know to use firearms as early as the 1530s.
 In 1662, the Mughals under Mir Jumla attacked the Ahom kingdom and defeated them.
 The Ahom state depended upon forced labour. Those forced to work for the state were called paiks.
 By the 17th century, the administration became quite centralized.

6.  In their worship concepts influence of Brahmanas increased by the 17th century.
 Literature and culture flourished in their time. Works known as buranjis, were written – first in the Ahom
language and then in Assamese.
Trader Nomads: Banjaras

 The Banjaras were the most important trader-nomads. Their caravan was called tanda.
 Alauddin Khalji used the Banjaras to transport grain to the city markets.

7.  Emperor Jahangir wrote in his memoirs about Banjaras.


Bhils
tribe




 The Bhils are considered as the third largest
and most widely distributed tribal groups in
India. The name "Bhil" was probably derived
from the word villu or billu, which in most
Dravidian languages is the word for "bow."
The bow has long been a characteristic
weapon of the Bhil because the tribesmen
always carry their bows and arrows with
them. The Bhil tribes inhabit some of the
most remote and inaccessible areas of India.
There are two divisions of Bhils: the Central
or "pure" Bhils, and the Eastern or Rajput
Bhils. The Central Bhils live in the mountain
regions in the states of Madhya Pradesh,
Gujarat and Rajasthan. They are known as
the connecting link between the Guajarati’s
and the Rajasthani’s and are one of the
largest tribal communities of India. They
speak Bhili, which is an Indo-Aryan language.

8. Gaddi Tribe




 The Gaddi are a tribe living mainly in

the Indian states of Himachal

Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

 As of 2001, the Gaddi were classified
as a Scheduled Tribe under the Indian
government's reservation program of
positive discrimination. This
classification applied through Jammu
and Kashmir and in certain parts of
Himachal Pradesh.

9. Santhal’s Tribe

 A step forward, in our Indian tribal tour

Takes us to Santhal tribe. With a

Population of more than 49000, Santhal

tribes are the third largest tribes in

India. Belonging to pre Aryan

period, these tribes of India are found

In regions of West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and Jharkhand.
Many call them as “the tribes

at extreme”, a visit to their place will surly get your
money’s worth.

Santhal Tribes of India take pride in their past.
Historically, these Indian tribes were at front end against
Britishers, and their heroics against Lord Cornwallis are
well known. Many famous personalities such as Sidhu
and Baba Tilka Majhi were part of these enthusiastic
tribes of India.

10. Cheros Tribe


The Chero are scheduled caste, found in the
states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, in North India.
The community claims to have originally
been Chandravanshi Rajputs. Other members of

the tribe claim to be Nagvanshi. The Chero are
essentially one of many tribal communities, such
as the Bhar and Kol, that inhabit the southeastern
corner of Uttar Pradesh. They were the traditional
rulers of north Bihar, until they were disposed by the
Rajputs. They are now found in a territory extending
from Allahabad in the west, and Muzaffarpur in the
east. The Chero have two sub-divisions, the Mahto
and Chaudhary.
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